DA says McKie attempted gun purchase despite court order

NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- Former NBA player Aaron McKie was charged Monday with trying to buy two guns despite being under a protection-from-abuse order that bars such purchases.

The 35-year-old McKie denied being the subject of such an order when he applied to buy the guns in April, authorities said. The purchase was denied when the information surfaced in a background check, but his request was forwarded to state police.

McKie was charged Monday with a felony gun violation and a misdemeanor charge of lying to authorities.

His lawyer, Brian McMonagle, said McKie, a Narberth resident, sought the guns to protect himself from the violence in his old Philadelphia neighborhood.

"You can make an honest mistake on a gun application and pay the price," McMonagle said. "I don't think anybody thinks he had any bad intentions here."

The protection order remains in effect through September, yet McKie checked "No" to related questions on both federal and state forms, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said.

The order, filed in Delaware County, apparently involved an ex-girlfriend, McMonagle said.